jeudi 8 décembre 2011

Nothing crazy, just a classic holiday look.
No I am not blonde anymore ! This video was recorded in July 2011 when I was a blonde head. Yes I record my christmas tutorial in summer. I'm weird like that lol.
I'm back to black as you guys know.

Hope you'll enjoy it :)

List of products :

- Face :
-- I don't remember the foundation that I used sorry :( I think it was the Make Up For Ever HD foundation which I don't like lol
-- Paris Berlin - Eye brow pencil n°CS4
-- Contour : Paris Berlin - Taupe e/s
-- Blush : Make Up For Ever - e/s n°67 & n°88
-- Highlight : Make Up For Ever - e/s n°152

mardi 25 octobre 2011

As you may know, a new movie about the three musketeers' story came out recently and I really loved Milla Jovovich's make-up in it (who plays Milady de Winter). So I decided to recreate it as close as possible to the original look.

The movie itself was nice but can't beat the others to me. But I still enjoyed it so it's definitely worth watching it (not in 3D because it's horrible).

Anyway here is the picture I got inspired by :

List of products :

- Face :

-- Paris Berlin - TOP Lissage smoothing and matifying primer

-- NARS - Sheer glow foundation in Mont Blanc

-- M.A.C cosmetics - Studio finish concealer in NC20 & NW15

-- MUFE (Make Up For Ever) - Camouflage cream n°17

-- Kryolan - Translucent powder

-- Paris Berlin - Eyebrow pencil CS1

-- Contour : Paris Berlin - Light taupe brown e/s (eye shadow)

-- Bronzer : NARS - Laguna bronzer

-- Blush : MUFE - Blush n°10

- Eyes :

-- Urban Decay - Primer potion

-- MUFE - e/s n°56, n°50 & n°47

-- M.A.C cosmetics - Patina e/s & Ricepaper e/s

-- Glamour Doll - e/s in Jailhouse Jumpsuit mixed with e/s in Show Off

-- Paris Berlin - Eye pencil n°CR 206 (taupe)

-- M.A.C cosmetics - Fake lashes n°32

-- M.A.C cosmetics - Haute & Naughty lash mascara

- Lips :

-- Paris Berlin - Lip pencil n°CR 202 (pinky brown)

-- M.A.C cosmetics - Sandy B lisptick

Hope you enjoyed !

Talk to you guys later ! :)

xx

Claire

FTC disclaimer : FTC disclaimer : I am affiliated to Glamour Doll as I'm sponsored by them, however I'm not getting paid to make this video. I was sent the e/s for free. This is my honest opinion.

mercredi 12 octobre 2011

Halloween time ! Yay ! Well not really for me lol.Not that I don't like Halloween but we don't celebrate it in France. It's not a french celebration at all, not part of our culture.I thought about doing some special fx make-up tutorials for you guys and then I remembered that I'm allergic to latex. So no crazy special fx make-up for Halloween from me, sorry ! I wish I could but I would have to find a model that accepts liquid latex and all kind of stuffs on her face. Not gonna happen !

I had no idea what I was going for but I came out with this look and decided to call it "Celtic Desire".I hope you enjoy it and that it inspires some of you for Halloween.

jeudi 22 septembre 2011

Being a huge 90's lover, I had to make a make-up tutorial inspired by this decade. To me nothing screams more classic beauty than 90's make-up.

I got inspired by the famous top models back in that time. (Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Laeticia Casta, Karen Mulder, Naomi Campbell...) The time when real top models existed... It sounds very harsh to say such a thing but trust me working in the fashion industry and with many agencies, you just don't see girls like that anymore. I wish I could have lived in the 90's right now. haha Right now the trend seems to be either random girls that have nothing to rave about (trust me some girls in agencies are so boring and casual) or skinny as hell. I'm not for this over skinny trend at all and in fact think those girls need a good hot-dog. They are walking on the runway like they are about to fall on the floor and can't even walk right because it looks like the shoes are too heavy for them. Sorry for the rant but seriously what the hell happened to the gorgeous classic beauty 90's models trend ?! BRING IT BACK PLEASE ! It sounds crazy to think that someone like Cindy Crawford would be consider fat for a model right now in this industry.

90's top models were just absolutely gorgeous from head to toe. Perfect classic beauty face, perfect body shape and perfect at making money. They were everywhere from catwalks, to tv commercials, to music videos. Remember George Michael's Freedom ! '90 video ? I can't post it on here but you should definitely check it out !

When it comes to 90's make-up nobody reminds me of it more than the work of Kevyn Aucoin (he did so much for the MUAS in this industry and was an amazing artist). Ok gotta admit Billy B's work during the 90's is also amazing.

Here are some examples I took my inspiration from :

" We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day " - Linda Evangelista

Naomi Campbell

Karen Mulder

Anyway !

90's make-up was very classic beauty, perfect skin (contour and highlight were a major thing to master), full glamour lips (yes lip correction 101 people ! hard but as a MUA you need to master it), and glam eyes.

Some people will probably say that 90's lips were sometimes horrible = overdrawn lip liner, but if it's well done it looks amazing especially on pictures. Today, a lot of people skip what I call "lip correction 101" because as they say it's not cute and over. Today, you just put a light color in the middle of the lips to make them look bigger. And to get perfect 90's lips... this is wrong. Putting a light color in the middle of the lips is not gonna give you 90's lips at all. 90's lips were full on the sides and quite flat in the middle. When you put a light color in the middle of your lips it's just gonna make the middle of your lips bigger not the sides. You need to correct your lip shape. Lip correction is the hardest make-up basic 101 to learn. That's the reason why people hide behind the " it's old fashion" lie. Yes I'm calling out all lazy MUA's out there ! haha Trust me, I've been called back by people just based on the fact that I know how to correct a lip shape. If you want to do 90's lips you need to work on that and if you want to be a pro MUA you better know how to do it.

Now I'm not saying that "3D lips" (light color in the middle - darker on the corners) is not beautiful, it's just not enough to achieve classic 90's lips. So take your lip pencils and lipsticks and practice practice practice !

mardi 13 septembre 2011

I've been planning on doing a video about contouring for a long time now. There are too many things to say and I find it easier to explain like that.

After reading all that you will understand why I won't do a demonstration on myself. Everybody has a different face, seeing my contouring won't help doing yours.

- The goal of contouring :

The goal of contouring is to create or reinforce a natural looking shadow on your face. This is meant to be a " face correction ". Contouring will frame your face and gives it more dimension. Knowing how to contour a face, anyone's face, is an essential base that as a make-up artist we need to perfect. Unlike a lot of people think, being able to contour anyone's face the right way is not that simple. Knowing how to do it, is a big part of being successful as a make-up artist. Being able to perfect any make-up basics is what a professional make-up artist should be able to do.

In a classic beauty way, contour is used to create an oval face shape. Or at least something that can be as close to it as possible. When it comes to more high fashion / catwalk contouring, it is used to create more of a feline face shape.

- Contouring no no :

Sucking your cheeks / doing the fish face and voilà ! This is a very basic wrong way to contour your face. Thinking that this method will work on everybody's face is just wrong. Everybody has a different face shape. Some round, some long, some square, ... That's why you need to adapt the direction of your contour depending on what face shape you're contouring. If you already have a long face shape, you don't want to go in direction of your lips. This will do nothing but making your face even longer. You better go in direction of your nose. If you have a round face shape then you are more likely to go in direction of your lips and it will elongate and slim down your face. Of course they are tons of different face shape. And most of the time your entire face is not fully round, fully long, ... You can have a round face when it comes to the middle of your face (cheeks), a square face when it comes to the top part of your face (forehead) and the lower part of your face long (chin and jaw line). That's very important to be able to guess each shape of your face to be able to do your contour the right way.

Using a bronzer as a contour color. I see tons of people using bronzer as a contour color everyday. This is probably the n°1 mistake that people make. Most of bronzers have shimmers in them. Contour is all about creating a shadow on your face. A shadow meaning a matte shade to create depth and definition. Anything that has shimmers in it will reflect the light and highlight a part of your face. This is in fact the opposite thing that you want to do when you contour a face. You're probably going to say that if the bronzer is matte there is no problem anymore. You are wrong. Bronzers are meant to give a natural glow to your face / creating a fake healthy tan look. That's why bronzers, no matter if they are shimmery or not, are warm based. A shadow is not warm, it's a cool tone color. That's why even if your bronzer is matte, it doesn't make it a right color for contouring. I see many people contouring their face with a matte bronzer and they end up with a very unnatural looking contour / warm brown contour. What you want to use is a cool tone color. You can contour with a cream based product or a powder. I tend to prefer using a powder. But this is a personal choice. For light skins, I use a light matte taupe brown color. This gives me the perfect natural looking contour. For people who have medium to slightly dark skins I mix 2 colors together most of the time. Any eye shadow in the brown family (not too much warm based) and a taupe or grey color. For people who have an olive skin tone, I sometimes even add a little bit of a green eye shadow. Yes green ! And trust me it works. Of course when you mix powders together you should be very precise and not just take a ton of green eye shadow. It should be the undertone color of your contouring not the main color. For people who have dark to very dark skins I mix, again, 2 matte colors together most of the time. A black and a blue. Once again the black should be the main color and the blue the undertone.

People contouring when then don't need it. No you don't need to contour your cheeks, your nose, your forehead, your chin, your jaw line. I see some people who have a nearly perfect oval face with amazing bone structure and yet they contour the hell out of their face and end up looking like a drag queen. I have nothing against drag queens and think they are amazing at what they do, but let's face it, it has nothing to do with classic beauty. If you only need to contour your cheeks then just contour your cheeks ! Just because other people contour their entire face doesn't mean you need to do it too. As I said everybody has a different face shape.

- Things to do when contouring :

Always start by contouring your cheeks. Sometimes when looking in a mirror, you think you're gonna have to contour your jaw line and your forehead. Trust me, cheeks contouring can actually make you change about doing that. Being the middle of your face, it tends to balance the rest of your face. A great cheek contouring can avoid a jaw line contour. Now it doesn't always work, most of the time you still need to contour your jaw line. When it comes to contouring your forehead, this is something that most of the time your hairdresser should be concerned about. A good hair cut matching your face shape can actually avoid a contour there. A long forehead would look shorter with bangs, a square forehead more oval with side bangs. If you don't have a haircut that suits your face shape, this will influence your entire face. But of course most of the time forehead is the first part concerned.

Contouring your cheeks in a triangular way. When you are contouring your cheeks, you don't need and shouldn't contour all the way down to the direction you're taking. That means, if you happen to go in direction of your lips, to never bring your contour down to your lips. This is horrible looking. The right way to do it, is to imagine a contouring in a triangular shape. Of course the longer side of triangle should be close to your hair line / ear and the pick of the triangle should be were your contouring stops. Contouring your cheeks in a triangular shape will avoid you to go too far with your contouring as it reinforces the direction of the shadow by itself.

Contouring your jaw line under your actual face line. Never contour your jaw line directly on your jaw line (if that makes sense). If you do so you're more likely to end up with a fake beard color effect that is, no need to say, ugly. Always contour just right under your jaw line and blend it down your neck.

Being precise. Contouring is way more precise than most people think it is. For example when it comes to contouring your jaw line, you don't always need to contour your entire jaw line. A good example to explain what I mean are mature people. Most of the time, they have a little part of their jaw line (just around the chin) that falls down. If you just contour under that part, this will reduce that effect. But if you go ahead and contour the rest of your jaw line, this will neutralize the effect you just created. Adding shadow everywhere is not the right way to contour. Only add that shadow where you truly need it.

And I think it's about it !

When it comes to contouring my own face, I do have naturally an oval face shape. But I like to give it a more feline look.

I hope it was helpful to some of you ! If you have any questions please let me know.

lundi 12 septembre 2011

-- How many times do you wash your face daily ? At least once. I wash my face before I go to bed with my face cleanser. In the morning, I usually only use a baby wipe to clean my face and then a toner.

-- What skin type do you have ? (dry,oily,combo) I have normal sensitive skin. My skin is very sensitive to what I eat and where I live. When I'm in Paris, my skin tends not to like the pollution that much. It breaks out more and my t-zones are more on the oily side, than when I'm out of Paris.

-- What is your current facial wash ? My current facial wash is by The Body Shop, it's their Seaweed deep cleansing facial wash. I like it, it doesn't do anything amazing to my skin but it still does the job as far as cleaning it. And I like the smell of it :).

-- Do you exfoliate ? Yes, I exfoliate at least once a week. It's very important to exfoliate your skin at least once a week even if you have sensitive skin.

-- What brand do you use ? I currently use Ocean salt by LUSH. So far I like it besides the fact that the salt can sometimes be way too big and not so gentle on my skin. Mixing the product before using it helps with the salt problem.

-- What moisturizer do you use ? I currently use Vanishing cream by LUSH. So far I like it, it reminds me a lot of Hope in a jar by Philosophy. It smells the exact same thing.

-- Do you have freckles ? No I don't.

-- Do you use eye cream ? I use one that will remain nameless, for the main reason that I don't think it works for me at all. I never found an eye cream that works. I'm still searching for one that will do something.

-- Do you or did you have acne prone skin ? Yes, 10 years ago when I was 13. My acne was not the worst but it definitely was not just one spot once per month either. My skin cleared up around 16/17. And I had complete clear skin when I was 18/19. Then I came to Paris and my skin started breaking out again, because of pollution and everything nasty in Paris. I don't have acne anymore, my break outs are due to the pollution and when I'm out of Paris my skin clears up completely in 2 days. Gotta love Paris for that !

-- Did you ever have to use Pro-activ ? No and in France, at least back in my days, Pro-activ was not a must product at all. I don't remember any of my friends using it either.

- MAKE-UP

-- What foundation do you use ? I use NARS Sheer glow foundation. The BEST foundation ever ! I've been using it for over a year now and it still is my favorite. Great for any all skin types, besides very oily skin and very dry skin. I just wish the color range was better. I can't use it in winter because the lightest shade in France is Mont blanc which is too dark for me in winter. And I find that most of the colors are very yellow based. I just can't go over how good that foundation makes my skin look !

-- How about concealer ? I use M.A.C cosmetics Studio finish concealer. I always go back to this one. Huge amount of product, it will last you a very long time. It's a full coverage concealer but it doesn't dry up your skin. The color range is very good, unless you are very light or very dark.

-- Do you know your undertone color ? Yes, I have neutral slightly yellow undertone. That means I can wear gold or silver without any problem. I guess I'm lucky for that :).

-- What do you think of fake eyelashes ? I only wear fake lashes when I'm doing a specific video for YouTube. I don't need fake lashes on a daily basis as I have very long lashes naturally. But if you need some definitely use some and they are a must for very dramatic make-up looks. -- Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months ? Yes and my mascaras never last 3 months anyway.

-- What brand of mascara do you use ? I'm currently using the M.A.C cosmetics Haute & naughty lash mascara. I like it so far.

-- Sephora or MAC ? A Sephora that has a M.A.C counter in it. :) And I love going to Le Printemps in Paris.

-- Do you have a MAC Pro-card ? Every time I'm going to M.A.C, I think about getting one (as I can easily get one as a MUA) but never do.

-- What makeup tools do you use in make up application ? Brushes, my fingers, back of my hand, Graftobian mixing palette, q-tips ; anything that can be useful.

-- Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes ? Yes I do, I currently use the UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion).

-- For the face ? Yes, I do. I currently use the Paris Berlin TOP Lissage smoothing and matifying primer. I like it. I never use a moisturizer before it. Primers already have moisturizing properties in them, if you have a combination to oily skin you don't need to use a moisturizer and a face primer. It's useless and is only going to make you oilier. Only use a toner before your face primer. Trust me it makes a huge difference !
-- What is your favorite eyeshadow ? That is a very hard question ! I don't have one. I currently love Sumptuous Olive and Vex by M.A.C. Fawn e/s by Bobbi Brown is one of my all time favorite.Veteran and Apple Martini e/s by GDE.

-- Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner ? I always use liquid liner just because it gives me more intensity and definition. I use the Urban Decay liquid liner in Perversion. It's my favorite one, I always go back to it.

-- How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil ? Never.

-- What do you think of pigment eyeshadows ? I like them. However some I find don't stay well on the eyes and lose intensity with blendings. And you need to be careful with fall outs when it comes to dark shades. I love M.A.C Vanilla, Melon and Violet pigments. And I love most of GDE loose e/s.

-- Do you use mineral makeup ? The only mineral make-up products that I use are by GDE. (Glamour Doll Eyes)

-- What is your favorite blush to use ? NARS Douceur blush. A must have for light skin tones.

-- Do you buy your makeup on ebay ? Never.

-- Do you like drugstore makeup ? I do for certain things. Mascara is a good example. I love Sleek make-up products too. But I would never buy a drugstore foundation.

-- Do you go to CCO's ? I wish I could, but we have nothing similar in France.

-- Did you ever consider taking make-up classes ? I did. I went to an international make-up school in Paris. 9 months training.

-- Are you clumsy in putting on makeup ? Not anymore.

-- Name a makeup crime that you hate ? So many to name... when it comes to every day make-up. Bad contouring, contouring with a bronzer. People need to understand how bad looking it is. A contour is a shadow, it is not shimmery nor warm brown based. Overdrawn eyebrows. Chola eyebrows. Bad blendings ending with a raccoon eye. Dark lipliner with nothing on the lips. Patchy blush. Overuse of bronzer. Foundation that doesn't match the skin. And the list goes on...

-- Do you like colorful shades of makeup or neutral ones ? Neutral ones. I like versatile neutral colors. Sumptuous Olive is a good example, it's an olive color but it has amazing gold reflects into it. Vex also is a good example. I used to love very colorful shades of make-up when I started.

-- Which celebrity always has great make up ? Kylie Minogue, Adele, Gwen Stefani.

-- If you could leave the house using just one make up item,what would you use ? M.A.C Studio fix powder.

-- Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on ? Yes, I don't wear make-up if I have to go grocery shopping.

-- Do you think you look good even without any makeup on ? I look like every body, decent.

-- In your opinion, what is the best makeup line ? In my opinion, there is no best make-up line. There are amazing products from different brands.

-- What do you think of Makeup ? A way to make every woman and man feel pretty, confident and I way to express yourself in an artistic way for some.

Lately, I've been watching some of the old James Bond movies. Not to mention that to me, the best James Bond was and will always be Sean Connery, I decided to create a look inspired by the 60's James Bond girls. I got inspired by Ursulla Andress, Daniela Bianchi, Shirley Eaton and Diana Rigg. I didn't recreate a specific look just because I like to create my own.

I went for a classic 60's eye make-up look including some blue in it, because blue was a massive color in the 60's. For the lips, I went for a classic 60's light matte coral color.And for the skin, I kept it simple and quite bronzy. 60's were all about having a nice glow and tan.